Other Details: Friday, May 31st at The Barbary. Event is 21+ Tickets are just $12 and we’re expecting to sell out well in advance!

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]]>http://i99radio.com/2019/02/25/5th-i99birthdaybash/feed/0Finding “Virtue” with William Ryan Keyhttp://i99radio.com/2018/11/28/finding-virtue-with-william-ryan-key/
http://i99radio.com/2018/11/28/finding-virtue-with-william-ryan-key/#respondWed, 28 Nov 2018 16:42:11 +0000http://i99radio.com/?p=1766If you don’t know singer/songwriter William Ryan Key, you should. The name may sound familiar to pop punk fans, as Key hails from the band Yellowcard. But what is he doing now? To answer this question, I recently interviewed him for i99Radio, where we talked about his new solo career, his latest EP, what he thinks it takes to survive in the music industry, and upcoming plans for 2019.

Key is releasing his second EP, “Virtue,” per self-release on Friday, Nov. 30. This follows his debut EP, “Thirteen,” that Key released earlier this year. Both EPs are a part of his label, The Lone Tree Recordings, a brand that Key created for his solo music. Key notes that each EP has a flair of intimacy present within the tracks, but the physical sound gets bigger sonically.

Explaining the difference even further, Key says, “On ‘Thirteen,’ I talked a lot about the lyrics and songwriting but with ‘Virtue,’ the thing to talk about is that musically, I expanded and grew the sound as far as instrumentation, adding the drums to the songs, doing a lot more work with the electric guitar, and not just me and the acoustic. I think building the sound on ‘Virtue’ was one of the most important things for me during the process.”

With his first EP, Key was hesitant to explore his sound with multiple instruments, as he was not sure what fans would think about his overall transition from front man of a pop punk band to a calmer-vibe solo artist. He wanted to test the waters before going more elaborate.

Key confesses, “When I made ‘Thirteen,’ I didn’t know what was going to happen with it, like with touring and playing it live. So part of making that EP was a conscience effort to be like, ‘I’d like to make these songs so that it’s just me and the acoustic guitar, and if I get up on stage, I can have some of this rawer ambiance going on on tracks and stuff in the background to fill it out, but it’s not a bunch of crazy stuff.”

When starting his solo career, Key kept his future live performances in mind. He didn’t know what he could pull off or if audiences would have interest in him on stage with new musicians following his former band.

But then Key saw potential. “It [the start of live shows] went well enough as I did the New Found Glory tour, and then I landed this spot on the Mayday Parade tour, so I felt more confident going forward with more instrumentation,” Key explains. “I could have a drummer, and a guitar player, and stuff like that with me. Post-rock bands such as Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai also were a huge inspiration in regards to adding more instrumentals.”

On “Virtue,” Key collaborates with two of the members of the band Hammock, a band that has inspired him musically. He found joy working with them on this latest EP.

“I’ve been a big fan of Hammock for a long time,” Key shares. “They’re based in Nashville where I currently live and I’ve gotten to be friends with one of the founding members. I hit up Marc Byrd [one of the three band members] and was like ‘Hey man, can I send you a couple songs and see if you’re interested in it?’ as I was working on the EP. He got back to me with a really positive reaction and said ‘Let’s do it!’ It was such a cool thing for me, as they’re a huge inspiration and I listen to their music a lot. So the song ‘Downtown, (Up North)’ has cello parts that were written and produced by Marc and Matt [Slocum] from Hammock.”

Key just wrapped up his fall tour with Mayday Parade, This Wild Life, and Oh, Weatherly, which he explains as having “good vibes,” with everyone working well together from setting up the stage to just hanging out when they had some extra time.

“I’m just super grateful for the guys in Mayday Parade for giving me this opportunity to be on the tour,” Key admits. “I’ve known the guys of Mayday for a lot of years so it’s been cool to spend this much time with them. I’ve only ever done Warped Tour with them before. Also, getting really close to the guys in This Wild Life has been awesome since we’re going to Europe to do a co-headlining tour right at the beginning of next year. So I’m really glad we got the chance to do this tour together to get to know each other.”

“The thing is, I’m going out to these shows, playing new music for the majority of the crowd, music that they don’t know the words to, and it’s such a different vibe from Yellowcard. I’m really doing something completely different, so I can really tell when the show is really on and when I can really connect with the crowd,” Key explains, regarding his city choices.

If you’re a fan traveling to one of Key’s shows, he recommends being open to a diverse playlist as his sound combines a multitude of genres.

“It’s tough because I’m trying to invent this hybrid of two genres that I love, [the first being] singer/songwriter kind of folk, alt-country Americana, with artists like Jason Isbell, Ryan Adams, or Elliott Smith,” he ponders. “Artists like that, but also some of that post-rock stuff like Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai. So put on an Elliott Smith record and listen to a couple of songs, then an Explosions in the Sky record and listen to a couple of songs. We’ll meet somewhere in the middle at the show.”

I also asked Key about advice he has for any aspiring artists, or if he gained wisdom that he wishes he knew in the past when it comes to the music industry.

“I wish that I would’ve known that social media was going to be a thing. But, I think that’s just me being old,” Key muses, but then turns serious. “I mean, I think that we still live in a world where live music matters, and performing for fans matters— finding the thing that makes people attracted to the music you write. You can’t really advise that, though. If you find yourself writing songs that you find people gravitating towards, just get out and play as much as you can. Anywhere, all the time, within reason that it makes sense to you. Any shows that you get, that you want to be a part of, do it all. That’s the way you get people connected to you.”

William Ryan Key poses with i99Radio sign.Photo by Ryan Smith

Referring back to the topic of social media, Key goes on to explain that he’s a bit skeptical on how that transposes for some artists, in regards to developing a true artist/fan connection.

“Even for all the social media that is happening, and even if you have 10 million subscribers on your YouTube channel, I’m sure with some of those people that it does translate. But I feel like with a lot of them it doesn’t translate to fans coming in person to see them play music, buying their merchandise at shows, doing those types of things that keep one going as an artist. I don’t know anything about that YouTube world as far as becoming successful as an artist in that medium. But I would say if you want to be a live/touring musician, it’s that live shows are the most important thing. Obviously, keep working hard on your songwriting skills, and keep collecting as many influences and inspirations from artists that you love as you can, and try to channel it, but just get out and play.”

As he continues to promote “Virtue,” Key stresses that the focus is going to remain on promoting the music rather than doing music videos like he did with two songs on his “Thirteen” EP.

“I think we’re finding right now [that] navigating the music business in this day and age is a tricky thing, and choosing where [to focus] is key,” he says. “You have to be very, very particular with what you choose to spend money on and making those choices; what are you going to get the most returns from? I feel like right now, not that we wouldn’t do it down the road, but we’re feeling like it’s diminishing returns to spend money on music videos. I don’t really feel like my fan base demographic, whether it’s new or carrying over from Yellowcard, is really a YouTube-engaged fan base.”

However, Key is not totally opposed to posting videos at this point, as he shows interest in possibly posting live videos of his performances in the future. Instead of an elaborate presentation, it would just focus on him performing.

“Going forward and doing live versions of stuff, doing my own songs and cover songs, is a different story as I can easily just do that at home without the production,” Key explains. “On ‘Thirteen,’ I did a music video where I had a good friend come in, direct, and shoot; it was really cool and people really liked it, but I look back and think maybe I could’ve used that money on marketing somewhere else— something that would’ve gotten a better return on the investment. So right now there is no plan to pursue any music videos for ‘Virtue.’ We just want to make sure we get the actual music out to as many people as we can.”

So what do fans have to look forward to, other than the recorded music? Key provided some insight on his plans for 2019.

“We’re about to announce my first solo U.S. headlining tour,” Key says excitedly. “And so, that’s currently a focus— marketing and promoting my first tour on my own. That tour is going to be a real gauge/barometer on how seriously I take this going forward; how well those shows do I think will help me make a lot of decisions as far as how much more music do I make? Do I go sign to a record label? Do I make a full album? Those goals are not necessarily set, but doing this tour and having it do well is a very clear, attainable goal.”

William Ryan Key performing at The Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pa.Photo by Ryan Smith

Key additionally spoke about his plans already announced for the new year.

“I also have this tour in Europe co-headlining with This Wild Life, so the first four months of 2019 are super busy and focused on my solo stuff. Then after that, I’ve been playing rhythm guitar with New Found Glory [on tour] and they have a lot of stuff coming up in 2019, so it looks like I’m going to be playing with them as well. I’m excited about that since it sort of helps me exercise my rock-and-roll muscle. It’s going to be a jam packed year.”

In the meantime, Key is gearing up for his upcoming EP release, and his next gig happens to be an Emo Night Brooklyn appearance in New Jersey on Dec. 8.

“The Emo Night thing is kind of like playing guitar with New Found Glory: it’s just a cool way for me to stay connected to my roots, where I came from, how I came up on music,” Key says. “And so, getting out there on stage and jumping around like an idiot for an hour or two to all those classic songs with fans, it’s just a fun night to hang out and enjoy music.”

Key mentions that it’s important to recognize that Emo Night isn’t just guys traveling around, listening to music on a laptop, but instead he explains that “It’s a conduit for people who just want to come and bang their heads; an event that people can go to and hear all their favorite bands in one night.”

Key feels humbled by the reaction he’s had so far with the singles he’s released from the new EP, the particular stand-out being with the EP’s title track “Virtue.” As his tour wrapped up with Mayday Parade, he ended his set with that song.

“It’s one of my favorite songs that I really have ever written in my life so I really love playing it,” Key says. “It feels like 16 years ago, being in the band and just starting out, and playing old songs that no one knew, and we’d just get up there and play them. And that’s a cool experience to just return to. ‘Virtue’ has really been effective and I’ve had multiple fans/people approach me at the merch table at the end of the show and say, ‘Man, that last song you played is incredible. What was it?’ It’s been effecting people in a really good way.”

Fans can stay up to date with William Ryan Key on his website and social media accounts, listed below. Pre-order his new EP “Virtue” and also check it out on Apple Music and Spotify. Other streaming services can be found here. Tickets to his future shows/tour dates can also be purchased on his website.

A queue had begun to form at Boot and Saddle before the doors were even open. On Saturday, October 27th, the Philadelphia bar, Boot & Saddle did not serve alcohol, but that did not stop fans from lining up as they eagerly awaited Yungblud‘s arrival. The night started with Kentucky band, Arrested Youth, setting the stage for Yungblud, creating a stick to the man, punk-rock vibe. Arrested Youth ended their set with my favorite song of theirs, “News,” as the boys were shirtless and the lead singer crowd-surfed.

A few minutes went by and the anticipation for Yungblud was growing. As time continued to go by, it seemed as if the back room of Boot and Saddle grew smaller, as more fans filtered to the front of the stage. Adam Warrington, guitarist, was the first band member to come onto the stage and the crowd was pretty excited. Then, as Yungblud’s throne (aka his hot pink wheelchair) was placed on stage, the audience completely lost it. One audience member even referred to the wheelchair as “iconic.”

Yungblud began the night in his signature pink and black striped shirt with “21st Century Liability,” which is the title of his debut album, (check out the i99 album review here) followed by his arguably most popular song, “I Love You, Will You Marry Me.” I could not believe how mobile he was for someone being in a foot cast/boot. Yungblud was jumping all over the place creating undeniable, contagious and rebellious energy. The rebellious attitude continued as he dedicated his third song of his set, “King Charles,” to Donald Trump.

Although Yungblud is raging and rebelling against authority figures and creating protest anthems with his music, there is such a positive, good-natured quality to him. He radiates light and positive vibes through his smile. He is creating a safe space and giving young people a voice (hence the reason alcohol was not served- there were many fans under 21) through songs like “Anarchist” and “Psychotic Kids.”

Next, about mid-way through his set, Yungblud performed my favorite song off of 21st Century Liability: “Polygraph Eyes,” a song that tackles the issue of date-rape culture. It was a very emotional part of the night. Yungblud could not even sing the last line, “she can’t even talk” without the audience first applauding his bravery with creating the song and being an ally. Yungblud smiled and looked extremely grateful. Yungblud followed “Polygraph Eyes” with “Medicine” and “Kill Somebody.” Similar in sound and message, “Kill Somebody,” as stated in my i99 Album review, discusses the effects of being scared and trapped in a very dark place inside of one’s mind. Yungblud shared this with the audience before sitting in his wheelchair and singing.

“Polygraph Eyes” and “Kill Somebody” are two vulnerable tracks off the album, but it was clear Yungblud was ready to turn up the volume and make some noise like the true punk-rock king that he is. At one point in the night, a string broke on Yungblud’s guitar, which he tried to fix, but was unsuccessful. Then in rockstar fashion, he later broke a guitar, completely demolishing it on stage, smashing into pieces. Throughout the entire night, the audience was feeling the rock and roll vibes by singing, jumping and raging with songs like “Tin Pan Boy,” a track off of the 13 Reasons Why soundtrack and the closing song of Yungblud’s set, “Machine Gun.”

The closing of Yungblud’s setlist, may have been my favorite moment at a concert ever. Yungblud announced that “Machine Gun” would be his last song. He, then, teased the audience and asked us if we wanted one more. Of course, the audience went wild. Yungblud explained that the ‘Encore’ typically serves as the dramatic part in the evening where the artist walks off stage and then comes back and plays a few more songs. With complete brutal honesty, Yungblud yelled, “Well I can’t f*cking walk.” Therefore, he stayed on stage and said he would play “Die for Hype.” Realizing he made a mistake, he laughed with the audience and played “Doctor Doctor” followed by his last song of the night, “Die for Hype.”

After the show, Yungblud met all of his fans, creating a special bond and an unique concert experience for his black hearts club, a name for his fan-base. If you were unable to attend the Boot and Saddle show, that is ashame because this rockstar is about to blow up!

On Sunday, October 14th, the Wells Fargo Center transformed into a makeshift place intended for magic, enchantment and fairy-tale realness as Florence Welch, better known as Florence and the Machine, graced the stage in a beautiful, yellow dress. The room was filled with people wearing flower crowns and Stevie Nicks inspired clothing. Florence twirled and glided all over the stage as she returned to Philadelphia to tour her latest and fourth studio album, High as Hope (check out the i99 Album Review here).

The evening began with two consecutive tracks off the new album, which dropped this past Summer, including: “June” and “Hunger.” High as Hope is Florence’s most personal and vulnerable album to date and she exposed her emotional side and new-founded openness by opening with these two songs. The night continued with revisiting albums one, two and three with “Between Two Lungs” off of Florence’s Debut Album Lungs, “Only if for a Night” from Ceremonials and “Queen of Peace” off of How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful.

Before Florence begun her next song, she addressed the crowd with the most angelic and melodious voice. Even her speaking-voice sounded like a beautiful song. Florence greeted the Philadelphia audience and invited the crowd to stand. Florence explained how the next song was about her home and surviving the time period from the messy teenage years to the late twenties. She advised the crowd that there is light on the other-side as she sung, “South London Forever.”

The following song, “Patricia” was dedicated and is a tribute to the great, Patti Smith. Florence spoke about how Smith told her whenever she performs this song, she is present with her. Florence did warn though, how the song has a violent and aggressive hook in regard to “toxic masculinity.” She furthered this statement with explaining how we are living in complicated times. She admitted to her heart hurting every day. But, she stressed to not lose hope. Florence informed the crowd that she believes in love. She stated, “keep doing good, keep showing up, hope is action and hope can make difference.”

After Florence’s powerful speech, she asked the entire audience to hold hands, hence the lyrics “You take my hand in your hand from you flowers grow / And you understand with every seed you sow you make this cold world beautiful.” Florence created unity in the crowd as sung “Patricia.” She gave a final remark before she sung, “If you’re here, you probably believe in women. Sing with us. Rage with us.”

Next, about midway through the set, Florence told the crowd to hug and embrace a stranger. She told us to tell that stranger, the random audience member, that we loved them and wanted them to vote in the upcoming election. There was even a table to register to vote by the merchandise table. Then, the crowd went wild as she performed her arguably most popular song, “Dog Days Are Over.” I thought the song was coming to an end, but instead Florence asked if we were ready to get weird, uncomfortable and vulnerable. Followed by “do you trust me?” Florence then told the audience to put their cellphones away, throw their hands in the air, jump, and let go of any fear, doubt or insecurity as we all sung in unison, “Run fast for your mother run fast for your father / Run for your children for your sisters and brothers / Leave all your love and your longing behind you / Can’t carry it with you if you want to survive.”

The night slowed down, but Florence did not lose momentum. Her vocals were accentuated by her power and emotion in “100 Years” and “Cosmic Love,” both a new and old track. Florence thanked the audience for accepting her new music and keeping her older music safe for these past ten years. Singing these songs close to one another, emphasized Florence’s gratitude to her fans for sticking with her through her journey of Lungs to High as Hope.

The night ended with “Delilah,” “What Kind of Man,” and was followed with an Encore of “Big God” and “Shake It Out,” which was a perfect way to end the night as it allowed Florence to run, dance, be passionate, grateful and happy through the music, lighting and drums.

As I walked out of the Wells Fargo Center, I could not help but notice the love, unity, magic and empowerment Florence had created. It was as if the music took over her body when she performed, yet she was still in complete control. She was the orchestra conductor and led the band with her angelic voice. Wells Fargo will continue to be a sports arena, but on a Sunday night in October, it will always be the place where Florence and the Machine had created a place of magic, unity and love.

CalJam 2018 took place on Friday, Oct 5th and Saturday Oct. 6th, 2018 in San Bernardino, CA at the Glen Helen Regional Park & Festival Grounds.

The two day rock event featured camping, free carnival rides and tons of attractions. The events kicked off Friday night with Black Sabbitch, Cosmic Kahuna, Bridget Everett and Closing out the night with a performance by Billy Idol.

Along with an all rock show, this year CalJam added a comedy tent located in the campgrounds with performances on Friday night from Jamie Kennedy, Harland Williams & Skyler Stone, Brenton Biddlecombe, Carlie & Doni. On Saturday the fun continued with The Fresh Drunk Stoned Comedy Tour featuring Tim Hanlon, Matt Bellak, Forrest Shaw, Jerry Rocha, Franco Harris, Brett Erickson, John Wynn and Bryan Vokey.

The Big Finish came Saturday night with a surprise performance by the surviving members of Nirvana, Pat Smear, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl. They were joined on stage by Brody Dalle from The Distillers, John McCauley from Deer Tick and Punk Queen Joan Jett.They finished off the night with Nirvana Classics: Serve the Servants, Scentless Apprentice, In Bloom, Breed, Smells Like Teen Spirit, and All Apologies.

]]>http://i99radio.com/2018/10/18/photos-caljam18-music-festival/feed/0Hozier Captures Everyone’s Attention and Heart at the Fillmorehttp://i99radio.com/2018/10/16/hozier-captures-everyones-attention-and-heart-at-the-fillmore/
http://i99radio.com/2018/10/16/hozier-captures-everyones-attention-and-heart-at-the-fillmore/#respondTue, 16 Oct 2018 20:26:33 +0000http://i99radio.com/?p=1369Many artists, musicians and bands believe they need to open their set with the most popular or loudest song, but Andrew Hozier-Byrne, better known simply as his mononym, Hozier, showed there is something to be said about keeping it quiet. Hozier’s soft, quiet vocals flooded the room of the Philadelphia Fillmore on October 3rd 2018 as he played his first song.

He stood tall (literally he’s over 6 feet tall) and opened the night with “Like Real People Do,” as he managed to capture the attention and heart of every single person in the room. He immediately set the ambience for the evening. It was clear, the night was going to be dedicated to the beautiful healing power of music.

Photo cred: Shaun Luberski

Next, Hozier ditched the guitar as he belted his latest single, “Nina Cried Power.” The protest anthem, which was inspired by Miss Simone herself, is directly off of Hozier’s New EP (i99 Radio Review here). It was nearly impossible not to feel the energy and passion exuding off of Hozier, the band and back-up singers. With the energy and passion radiating throughout the room, the audience could sense Hozier was thanking the legend, Miss Simone, for using her voice to advocate for change.

Throughout the night, Hozier created a perfect blend of old and new by following “Nina Cried Power” with the bluesy, rock track, “Jackie and Wilson.” It was obvious Hozier was becoming more comfortable in-front of the audience, through this smile and asking for crowd participation. The crowd happily complied as they sung in unison, “raise them on rhythm and blues.”

As the evening progressed Hozier’s comfort in front of the audience grew, as he figuratively and literally ‘let his hair down.’ He was not a man of many words but the music spoke for it self. Midway through the set, he performed one of my favorites off of the new EP, “NFWMB,” an acronym for ‘Nobody F*cks With My Baby,’ and described it as a “love song for the end of the world.” Song after song, Hozier effortlessly transitioned different guitars throughout the set. He gave the band a quick break and stood alone in the spotlight as he played an acoustic version of “Cherry Wine,” where he serenaded the crowd.

Hozier continued to give a taste of what is to come with the new album by playing two tracks off of the EP, which included: “Shrike,” the slow, build-up, rock tune, and “Moment’s Silence (Common Tongue),” which is very reminiscent of his debut album. After the two new tracks, he promised the audience we would know the next one.

Hozier stuck to his word and delivered, “Someone New.” The crowd snapped their fingers and sung along, as the track slowly built, sounding slightly different with less instruments than the recorded version. “Someone New” continued to progress and the seven-piece band eventually went into a complete jam session. It was extremely evident that the band has established an ebb and flow. They know how to work with one another while still highlighting individual abilities. Hozier was often at the forefront on these jam sessions, shredding away.

After jamming, the night took a surprising turn, when Hozier announced the band would be playing an unreleased track called, “Movement.” Hozier explained to the audience this would give them a taste of the new album. In addition, he admitted somewhat slyly that “Movement” was one of his favorites. “Movement” provided breathy vocals and a sexy R & B vibe. The audience was both impressed and surprised by the latter. If the evening had a theme, it would definitely be the perfect balance of old and new.

As if right on cue, Hozier eased from the new, “Movement” into the old “Take Me to Church.” Artists, musicians and bands often get asked if they dislike playing their most popular track, but this did not seem to be the case for Hozier. “Take Me to Church” felt spiritual, healing and like a total mind and body release. Hozier even exhaled when it was over, as if he had nothing else to give. It was truly powerful to witness.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and Hozier’s time at the Fillmore was ticking-away. After “Take Me to Church,” the night was capped off with an Encore of something old and new. The new, being a fun cover of Destiny’s Child, “Say By Name” and the old, being the long-awaited, “Work Song.” Hozier thanked his band, the opening band: Hudson Taylor, his manager, the audio engineer and every single person in the audience. As the audience trickled out the doors of the Fillmore, every person left feeling healed by the power of music.

]]>http://i99radio.com/2018/10/16/hozier-captures-everyones-attention-and-heart-at-the-fillmore/feed/0Hozier is finally back with his new EP!http://i99radio.com/2018/09/16/hozier-is-finally-back-with-his-new-ep/
http://i99radio.com/2018/09/16/hozier-is-finally-back-with-his-new-ep/#respondMon, 17 Sep 2018 02:46:09 +0000http://i99radio.com/?p=1338Four years ago, Hozier released his debut album and flooded western radio with his earthy rock/blues and smooth, soulful vocals. Throughout much of those four years, fans have continuously begged for and even demanded more music. At last Hozier has shared his EP, Nina Cried Power, which consists of four new songs.

Hozier has said that this new batch of songs connects to the various disheartening current events, saying they generally have “a sense of doom” (https://t.co/PvRoYq2Dpg). But the subject matter of the songs also comes from various perspectives; including the devastated and the more optimistic. The namesake to the EP, “Nina Cried Power,” is essentially a calling to everyone to not only know and understand what’s right, but to take a stand for it: “It’s not the waking, it’s the rising.” Featuring the vocals of Mavis Staples, the song also acknowledges a number of American artists who followed this example and simply overflows with soul. The music video features and gives credit to a number of activists in Ireland; simply showing them all listening and responding to this song which stands for what they so strongly believe in.

While “Nina Cried Power” is pretty much purely soul and blues, the following track, “NFWMB,” slows down and goes into the dark, organic blues/folk rock that’s so familiar from the debut album. It’s essence, both lyrically and musically, is soft and tender yet has the powerful depth to make it a hauntingly entrancing love song.

“Moment’s Silence (Common Tongue)” is the jam of the album that immediately gets your fingers snapping along to its bluesy guitar riffs. It starts at a mild tempo and melody that’s reminiscent of past tracks such as “To Be Alone.” Then the guitar suddenly barges through to give us a harder-hitting, driven chorus. Though Hozier’s belting vocals at this time complement the heavier riffs fairly well, the airy and echoing background vocals do soften the tone a little too much.

To end the EP, Hozier soothes us with folk-based “Shrike.” As beautiful and lulling as it is, it’s a bittersweet, almost mournful love song revolving around regret. He expresses regret over not showing or stating his love as much as he should have. Seemingly, this led to his lover leaving him. Throughout the song, he compares himself to a bird; specifically a shrike: “I fled to the city with so much discounted, ah but I’m flying like a bird to you now.” This line in particular seems to relate to the chorus: “Remember me love when I’m reborn, as the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn.” This is because of a shrike’s tendency to impale its prey through a thorn. It sounds a bit grim, but likely refers to how quickly and determinedly the shrike(Hozier) flies towards the thorn(his lover).

Luckily, this simply gives us a sample of what’s to be featured on the second full-length album that’s expected to come out early next year. No doubt, it won’t disappoint.

]]>http://i99radio.com/2018/09/16/hozier-is-finally-back-with-his-new-ep/feed/0Local Philly-area band, Afloat, releases self-titled EP out now on Spotify and Apple Musichttp://i99radio.com/2018/09/02/local-philly-area-band-afloat-releases-self-titled-ep-out-now-on-spotify-and-apple-music/
http://i99radio.com/2018/09/02/local-philly-area-band-afloat-releases-self-titled-ep-out-now-on-spotify-and-apple-music/#respondMon, 03 Sep 2018 01:02:50 +0000http://i99radio.com/?p=1315“Sad girl rock” trio, Afloat, has made their debut with their five song, self-titled EP that was released earlier this year. The band is consistent of Gabby Relos on lead guitar and vocals, Josh Rubeo on bass, and Max Bizerak on drums. The trio was formed when Relos needed a band to get together for her final senior project at Rowan University, but the three decided to continue on even after her graduation, and have been playing local shows in the Philadelphia and South Jersey area throughout the summer.
The EP kicks off with the track “Haze” that starts with steady drum beat and a melancholic guitar riff, while Relos sings of “feeling like the weather in the winter” already painting a picture of a bleak, dark, and dreary day that Philly residents know all too well. She is questioning if this feeling of dread and worry will ever leave and on the chorus she exclaims, “I’m lost in a haze, can you get me out?” most likely referring to the seasonal affective disorder that most people experience during the long, cold, winter months.
The second track however, “Faded Spots” gives off more of an upbeat, and bouncing rhythm. More of an interlude rather than a full song, as it lasts only about two minutes, the lead singer seems to be shedding light on someone in her life who may have said some hypocritical things to her at one point or another. But even so, she is finding closure as she sings, “Take it back, take back what you said it doesn’t mean anything to me” as the song comes to a close it fades into the third song on the EP, “Pulling Teeth” which comes as a break in sound from the previous tracks. “Pulling Teeth” has a steadfast drum, with pulsing bass, and rocking guitar. The song comes in strong and then fades on the bridge before diving back into the breakdown.
The closing track comes more as a piece of poetry from lead singer, Gabby Relos, as she begins the song with a soft strum of guitar and soothing vocals, when it then transitions into spoken word with just the guitar playing along to the rhythm of her words. She reflects on a past love in a heartfelt and raw moment of truth and vulnerability.
Bass player, Josh Rubeo, said of the recording process, “Max and I just walked into the studio and I listened to the guitar/vocal track that Gabby had already made a few times and we wrote our parts right there. We recorded for a few days within the course of a week during winter break at Rowan’s studio.” As for the inspiration behind the EP Relos says, “For me personally it was taking the risk of actually recording. I’ve never fronted a band and never sang before so this whole process was very eye opening for me. These songs that we wrote are about knowing that your own feelings are valid and it’s okay to feel a certain way. As you get older you start to realize what kind of relationships you have with people, not just in a romantic way. That’s something I’ve learned through this whole process.”

The band is still currently playing local shows in the area, and their EP can be streamed on bandcamp, Apple Music, and Spotify. They have also recorded a new single called “Crush Me” that won’t be released until January of 2019, so keep an eye out for Afloat and go catch them at a show near you! You can find out where they’ll be playing next by liking their Facebook page, and following their Instagram.

]]>http://i99radio.com/2018/09/02/local-philly-area-band-afloat-releases-self-titled-ep-out-now-on-spotify-and-apple-music/feed/0Meg Myers releases eerie and deeply personal 2nd LPhttp://i99radio.com/2018/09/02/meg-myers-releases-eerie-and-deeply-personal-2nd-lp/
http://i99radio.com/2018/09/02/meg-myers-releases-eerie-and-deeply-personal-2nd-lp/#respondMon, 03 Sep 2018 00:42:57 +0000http://i99radio.com/?p=1320Meg Myers is known for releasing music with a dark, tormented feel; from her vocal tone, to the lyrics, to the instrumentation. Yet she’s managed to take that to the next level with her new album, Take Me To The Disco, and let go of any limits she previously had.

Tracks like “Take Me To The Disco,” “Numb,” and “Tourniquet” have an almost dream-like element, due to aspects such as strong ambiance and reverberation. The first track and namesake for the album essentially describes the feeling of loneliness and wanting to somehow break out of it. Her execution of this track is soft and flowing but for the following track, “Numb,” the build-up and burst of the chorus is very powerful and audibly shows the anguish behind the lyrics. But to more bluntly display their meaning, the music video shows Myers constantly being crowded and touched by masses of people; representing her relationship with her former label which continuously tried to influence and steer her in a direction that didn’t fit her. It can actually be applied to many different yet similar experiences in peoples’ lives and most importantly, it gives the idea of how uncomfortable it is to be in such situations. “Tourniquet” almost has a middle ground between the former two; it has a stronger sound than “Take Me To The Disco,” but softer than “Numb.” It addresses the struggle of not knowing how to let go of a relationship that needs to end.

The album gets more intense with “Tear Me To Pieces,” where she expresses pain from a damaging relationship mixed with anger. She starts off softly, almost lethargic, and then practically explodes at the chorus. “Jealous Sea” is one of the best examples of how you need to really immerse yourself in the instrumentation of these songs. The overall feel of it sounds eerily seductive, but some of the instrumentation, particularly what sounds like very high-pitched and harshly-played strings, resembles what you would hear during the most intense scenes of a thriller movie. The wordplay of “Jealous Sea” is also notable, as it cleverly gives the representation of how the jealousy she feels hits her harshly and uncontrollably like waves of the sea.

“Death of Me” and “Some People” both have a lighter and slightly more upbeat melody, but still have darker themes; the former revolving around a relationship that has a lot of rough times, but they’re still fighting for it. However, from another perspective it could also refer to oneself, or a certain quality of theirs. The latter sounds like it’s from the perspectives of both dealing with personality/mental disorders and those who love someone with those disorders.

“Done” is very dark and emotional. Of course this applies to the vast majority of Myers’s music, but in this she expresses intense stress from her life and speculates if she’s perhaps ready to let go of and escape from all of it. “I’m Not Sorry” is also about a relationship that’s been going through rough patches and Myers is trying to fight to keep it going. It starts off more in the style of a very grim ballad but grows into powerful electro-alternative rock as her soft pleas turn into desperate cries. “Little Black Death” follows the pattern of having lyrics about a damaging relationship. She expresses that the end of the relationship leaves her emotionally empty: “Now it’s over, no more feeling, nothing left to believe in.” It also follows the pattern of starting off relatively calm but eventually transitions to Myers screaming out the lyrics. It’s as though in reality, she initially responds to these problems with a sort of numb acceptance but eventually, the stress and emotions caused by everything build up and suddenly burst out.

“Funeral” is a very interesting song, by the melody of the vocals and instrumental alone. A great detail to it is the riff done by what sounds like a mandolin. The song is incredibly haunting, perfectly fitting the lyrics. Exactly what they mean could be debated, but she seems to talk about the danger of loving her. She says how “well-behaved” she’ll be, but ultimately she won’t return the love and will end up hurting the other person. “Baby, my love’s like a funeral” could potentially mean that loving her is like loving someone who’s dead. The album ends with “Constant,” a beautiful acoustic piece that rounds out how she seems to generally feel about her own mentality. It’s as though after all the frustration and intensity put into the other tracks, she finally tires and settles down to somberly explain her sadness and worries.

One of the truly amazing things about this album is the realness of it. It didn’t feel like Myers making up stories and putting a good tune to it; you feel her overwhelming emotion and passion in each song. Rather than simply being dark and grim, they’re all utterly entrancing in such a chilling way. A great aspect of artistry is how the artists can manage to put their whole selves into their work, and that’s something that Myers accomplished beautifully with Take Me To The Disco.